Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Mar 20: It is confirmed that the overspeeding of the private express bus was the cause for the accident that took place in Gurpur on Tuesday, March 19, in which Mahesh Lamani (32), son of Channappa Lamani, a resident of Shivashakti Kripa of Devinagar in Belvai lost his life.

Mahesh Lamani was working in the office of the IG in the city.

According to eyewitnesses, the Karkala-Mangaluru route private express bus that was plying towards Mangaluru collided with another express bus that was going to Shivamogga from Mangaluru. But due to the overspeed of the Karkala-Mangaluru express bus, it could not come to a stop and in the process it hit the bike, in which Mahesh Lamani was riding. Due to the result of the impact, bike of Mahesh was thrown to the side of the road and the back wheel of the bus passed over the head and one part of the body, killing him instantly.

Mahesh was wearing a helmet during the accident and it was shred into pieces, which simply gives ample evidence of the speed at which the bus was being driven. The driver, who stopped the bus and ran from the spot, was arrested by the police.

Hundreds of people gathered at the spot of the accident and traffic was affected for more than one hour on the national highway. Bajpe police conducted the spot inspection.

The body of the deceased Mahesh was shifted to a hospital in Mangaluru. Bajpe police have registered a case in this regard.

The private express bus which caused the accident was running at over speed right from Kaikamba as per the information given by the passengers who were inside the bus. The bus was about to hit a tipper truck and all the passengers inside the bus screamed at that time. But the driver still did not reduce the speed and as a result caused an accident and killed the cop Mahesh.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the same stretch of the road at Gurpur. The road is narrow in this particular stretch and the road humps are not painted. For the same reason, the vehicle drivers are unable to make out the humps. Road humps were put a few years ago after an Eicher truck killed a boy on the same road. However, the humps that were put with a good intention have become lethal now as they are not painted and also their structure is unscientific. 

In addition, there are lots of potholes on the road, which is also causing difficulty for drivers to control the vehicle. Moreover, on both sides of the road there are shops and private houses, which makes this road not fit for heavy vehicle passage. According to a local person, the bus driver might have failed to notice the hump also due to which he might have caused the accident. 

In the midst of the demand to widen the NH 169, the occurrence of this accident has increased the rage of the local people.